The Glass Key
by D. M. Robb
Summary: Ella Shepherd is a fairy tale Cinderella, a path she does not wish to follow. In her struggle to escape her destiny, she ends up entangled in a plot that could devastate her world.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

I'm going to run away from my destiny, I thought as I scooped up the last of the ashes. Their acrid scent burned my nose and throat yet I felt strangely elated. And I'm going to do it tonight. No other fairy tale heroine in the Collective Unconscious Forest had ever done this before. At least not that I had heard.

Nerves twitched through me. Would such a scheme work? I would be going against the story mapped out for me. I secretly knew my fate, just as most of the denizens of the Collective Unconscious Forest knew theirs. I was slated to attend a ball, given by a prince I'd eventually marry. There would be a fairy godmother. The prospect of meeting some bland prince at a ball and spending eternity frittering away in a castle sounded even scarier than slaving away the rest of my life for my stepfamily.

"Hurry up and light that fire, girl!" Stepmother screeched as she glided into the room, a tall elegant woman with pale, tightly curled hair. Her long skirts rustled with her movements. Her angry voice echoed against the walls and high, slanting ceiling. "We've been sitting here freezing because you are so slow. If I wasn't so frugal, I'd throw you out on the street and hire a real servant."

"I-I'm sorry," I murmured, my mind focused on my plans. "I've been working as quickly as I can."

"Nonsense!" she roared. I heard giggles as my stepsisters Silvie and Audine streamed downstairs from their rooms. They loved to see me get into trouble with Stepmother. Both appraised me with their brilliant blue eyes, reminding me of hawks closing in on their prey.

"Don't be so hard on her, Mother," said Audine, the eldest, in a mocking tone. "Ella's just Ella. She's never going to change."

"And look at how pathetic she is," said Silvie, plucking at my hair. "All covered with ashes and soot. That's why we call her Cinderella. And her hair! Were you outside in a harsh wind, Cinders?"

My hands balled into fists at my side. I longed to blacken one of her eyes as I'd done before, only to earn a beating from Stepmother. I didn't want to make her angrier than she already was. Tonight was my escape night and _nothing_ was going to interfere with that.

"Ella, just get the fire started," said Stepmother, in an exaggerated, exasperated tone. "There's bread in the kitchen for your supper but that's all you get tonight for your laziness. When you're finished, go to your room."

I struggled not to shout for joy as I tended that task. . . the last one I would do for my stepfamily. They weren't my true family, something that was physically apparent to anyone that knew us. They were all tall with blonde hair and blue eyes while I was small and dark. My stepsisters said that my skin and hair were the color of cinders and that's another reason why they called me Cinderella. I had always envied their straight silky hair and alabaster complexions and used to share this with my father, shortly before he died.

"They are jealous of _you,_" he would say, taking me into his arms. "They wish that they had such thick wavy hair and skin that tanned so easily."

I blinked back tears and swallowed the painful lump that lodged in my throat. Father. . . if only. . .

Well, I couldn't change _that _part of my story, only the rest.

I ate the dry, hard bread slowly as I climbed the winding stairs to my attic bedroom. It was tiny and sparse but I liked it since it had a skylight on the ceiling. I had my cot positioned directly under it so I could literally sleep under the stars. And when it rained—well, I loved that too, falling asleep watching waterfalls of raindrops cascading down the slanting glass. But, best of all, this room was as far away from my stepfamily as I could get without leaving the house.

I grabbed my light-spinning spindle that was lying on my nightstand. I had created it myself, from a handful of water that I had turned into glass. It was as long as my hand and shaped like a regular spindle, slender and tapered on each end. The moonlight seeping in from the skylight made it dance with iridescent sparkles.

When I was very young, my mother, who had some fairy blood, had taught me how to shape solid objects from water and to spin with moonlight. For a fortnight I had been working on a magical moon-cloak that would render me invisible and intangible. It was this that would enable me to escape my family and my predictable destiny. I knew I was going against my creators' wishes but I didn't care. I had a life and was determined to live it without becoming ensconced in a drab castle.

I pulled the cloak from under the mattress where I kept it safely tucked. It was finer than a cobweb and flushed the room with a soft, silvery-white light. I grinned. My handiwork was perfect so far. All I needed now was a few more rows and I'd be finished.

I held up the light-spinner and twirled it. The glimmers of moonlight stretched into silken filaments. I lightly touched them; their texture was soft and damp. Pride warmed me. Spinning moonlight into threads was a task that many people could never accomplish, or so I'd read. I continued spinning the spindle until I had gathered a thick glowing ream of filaments. I then reached under my bed and pulled out a small glass frame loom, which I had also shaped from water.

I removed the moon-threads from the spindle and wove them across the loom's warp, which I carefully manipulated with my fingers. I gently passed the weft through and beat the emerging fabric into place. Back and forth, over and under until the weft threads formed glistening rows.

I hummed softly under my breath and hoped my stepfamily couldn't hear me. I could still hear them moving around downstairs. Not only did I not want them finding out what I was up to but my stepsisters often criticized my voice, calling it flat and dissonant. But I wasn't like them who had all the time for singing lessons.

When my cloak was finally finished, I gently knotted the last thread and released it from the loom. It felt soft against my work-callused hands and was nearly too bright to look at. I draped the cloak over my shoulders.

I felt instantly lighter and looked down at my hands, which had taken on a filmy, diaphanous appearance. The spell had worked! I now held the intangibility of moonlight.

I floated down the steps as if I were a ghost and held my breath when I heard my stepsisters giggling behind Audine's closed door. Certainly they were thinking up new ways to humiliate me tomorrow. I resisted the temptation to pass through their door and spy on them and instead slid into the kitchen. It wouldn't be wise to leave on my adventure without food. I filled my pockets with some of the bread, meat and cheese I had brought back from my errands earlier that day. Since I was still hungry, I ate some before I left.

A shiver tingled my skin as I slid through the front door. If anyone sees me, I'd be no more than a wisp of moonlight. I wanted to shout with joy for my long awaited freedom: not only freedom from my oppressive stepfamily but my story line.

But where was I to go now? I stopped and looked around. Just trees and moon-shadow and the sound of a river babbling nearby. I headed in its direction. I had been so busy planning my escape that I hadn't even thought about what I was to do afterward.

And I was tired. I settled on the river's mossy bank and closed my eyes. I'd worry about that tomorrow. Perhaps I'd just follow the river to the edge of the forest and see where it ended, what lay beyond. I had learned from Father that an invisible veil separated our world from that of our Creators. Was it possible to reach this veil?

I was awakened by a gasp. I rolled over, momentarily startled that I wasn't lying upon my cot beneath the skylight. The bumpy, pine-strewn forest floor wasn't any less comfortable but I did feel a bit stiff.

A woman clad in a dark purple robe was standing over me. She had long pale hair that was tinged a rich gold in the early morning light. "That's an unusual cloak," she said, pointing to my creation that had slipped off sometime during the night and lay crumpled at my side, shimmering like a moon-puddle.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Yes, uh. . .I made it," I mumbled awkwardly, struggling to sit up. My back was so sore that I couldn't help wincing. "When I was little, my mother taught me how to spin fabric from moonlight and shape objects from water."

"Very impressive," she said. "And does this cloak do anything besides glow?"

I stood and threw it over my shoulders. The woman's onyx eyes widened. "A cloak of invisibility."

"Not only that but it makes me intangible as well. I can pass through walls and locked doors."

I giggled as the woman reached in the direction of my voice, her hand passing through me with the faintest warmth.

"Usually only top level wizards are able to create such things," she said as I slipped off the cloak. "But how do I know your didn't steal this from some wizard? Can you prove to me that you possess such magic?"

I nodded slowly as I looked around. The moon had already set so I couldn't do anything with its light, the only heavenly light I knew how to spin. But there was the river. . .

I knelt on its bank and cupped my hands beneath the clear, cool water. I drew up a handful and stared at it, imagining it hardening into a clay-like substance in my hands. It slowly solidified into a glob of what appeared to be diaphanous jelly. I rolled it around in my palms, thinking. What should I make?

I was running away from my story, my scripted life. No more nagging stepsisters, I wouldn't have to attend a boring ball and meet some prince or wear. . .

Glass slippers! I could make a pair of glass slippers and then smash them, as a symbol of my newfound freedom.

I split the transparent glob in half and, using a flat rock as a worktable, molded one into the shape of a delicate shoe and formed the other to match. I added a few droplets of dew to give a jeweled effect and stared down at them, hardening them with my mind as if they had been baking in the sun for hours.

Pride filled me. They were my most perfect creations yet, better even than my spindle, decorated with bubble-patterns and sparkling with miniature rainbows against the sunlight that slipped in through the branches. Too bad I would have to destroy them. I bent to pick up a rock.

The woman grabbed them before I could do anything and held them up. "That is amazing. You do have wizard level talent. What is your name?"

"Laura," I said, thinking quickly. I certainly wasn't going to give my true name, Ella Shepherd, in case she knew my stepmother or if there was any chance she might be my fairy godmother. "Laura Piper."

"I'm pleased to meet you, Laura," she said, placing my slippers into her pocket. "My name is Lady Luna Pendragon but you can call me Luna."

I swallowed for my throat had suddenly gone dry. Her name. . . yes! I remembered reading about her in some book in my father's now mostly unused library.

"Do you know who I am?" she asked, cocking a pale eyebrow.

I nodded and forced the words to come. "You're one of the Collective Unconscious Forest's Seven Sorcerers."

"That's right. Do you have anywhere to go?"

I paled and shook my head, hoping that she didn't have the ability to read minds. Her dusk-dark eyes softened with sympathy as they studied my ragged frock and bare feet.

"Then I'd like you to come to my home and train to be my apprentice. You have great magical talent. Someday you too could become a great sorceress."

A glowing sensation filled me. It was an effort not to run through the forest shouting my excitement. I did it! I'd run away from my fate and succeeded. A sorcerer's apprentice! This was even better than what I had planned when I first plotted my escape.

Luna's home was a vast mansion at the edge of a great lake. I couldn't help but gawk at the enormous rooms, endlessly high ceilings and expansive gardens filled with more varieties of plants and flowers than I thought possible. Stepmother's house would fit into the banquet hall alone!

Luna didn't have any servants, for which I was grateful since I couldn't stand the idea of bossing someone else around just as my stepfamily had done with me, but kept everything maintained by magic.

She gave me the most beautiful embroidered gowns and tunics of the finest silks spun from not only moonlight but also wind and starlight. None of the shoes she had could fit me since my feet were so small but I declined her offer to make me any. I preferred to go barefoot and always had with my stepfamily. Here at her home, I could enjoy the soft, rich texture of thick carpet beneath my feet or the smooth cool marble of the corridors and the damp grass when I walked in the gardens.

Luna's lessons were long and tedious, many of which had me reading from thick, dry texts that discussed ingredients for obscure spells and the history of sorcerers in our world, which involved plenty of dates and facts to memorize. Still, it was much more pleasant than scrubbing floors and mending clothes that my stepsisters were certain to mess up again. Luna showed me how she could turn ordinary items such as cupboards and closets into magical portals that could lead to different sections of our world. These were complicated spells that would take years to learn and the portals were only able to stay active for minutes at a time. She also taught me to spin with shadows, something that I had never tried before. The filaments they formed were prickly and stung my fingers with a numbing chill.

"What is this for?" I asked after she instructed me to weave them into a cloak.

"This is just a segment of your training," she answered. "But, for now, I have an assignment for you."

I eagerly put down my work. "What is it?" A sickening feeling crept into my stomach when I saw her holding out a ball gown. It was a dazzling blue that sparkled with iridescent shimmers. She held it up to me. I backed away.

"I wove this especially for you," she said, studying me with her dark, dark eyes. "It's perfect for your meeting with the Sorcerer Corren."

"Sorcerer Corren?" I thought back over what I had learned these past weeks. "Isn't he your opponent in the race for Head Sorcerer?" She grinned and nodded. "I thought I was here for training, to be your apprentice. What does this have to do with anything?" My nausea was turning to anger.

"This _is_ part of your training. I will give you extra points for doing this."

I frowned and chewed my lower lip.

"Look." She breathed deeply as if struggling to keep from losing her temper with me. "I'm not asking you to marry Sorcerer Corren. Just meet him at a ball that is being given by the parents of Prince Hubert of the Fourth Kingdom."

My heart sank. Was my destiny set? I had been learning so much these past few weeks with her. I didn't want to throw it all away. Not now. Not ever.

"You don't have to meet the prince, Laura. Just look for Sorcerer Corren. You've seen his portrait in my gallery. With his wild, pale hair he isn't easy to miss."

I was surprised when a giggle escaped me. But then I sobered. Why a ball? Why?

Perhaps I could avoid the prince. And, even if he saw me, there are plenty of girls who are prettier than me.

But then again, it _was_ my destiny.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"You want me to attend as a spy?"

"No, not exactly. As you know, Sorcerer Corren is a mere boy, a lad not much older than you and too young for such responsibilities. I see him more as a son than an opponent and don't think he's ready for the responsibility of Head Sorcerer. He needs guidance. He has developed no ideas of his own but is merely following those of the older Sorcerers. You will serve as my tool for providing my guidance."

I stared long and hard at Luna before answering. "Then we can get back to my lessons?"

"To perfecting and honing your innate magical abilities? Of course. Now please, put on the gown so you will be appropriately dressed. You must hurry."

I tore off my robe and pulled on the gown with all its petticoats. They hissed in my ears like restless snakes.

"There. I'm ready."

"Not yet." Luna lifted the edge of my gown and sighed. "You can't go to the ball in bare feet."

"But I hate wearing shoes." Luna wasn't listening. She grabbed my hand and pulled me into her bedchamber. She had me try on several pairs of dressy slippers but, as I suspected, they were all too big.

"Well, just be sure that no one sees your feet," she began just before her eyes brightened. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the glass slippers I had created for her when we first met. "Put these on. They're perfect!"

I sighed. It didn't look like I'd be able to escape my destiny after all.

I resisted the urge to smash them against the floor as I squeezed my feet into them. They were tiny even for me. I took them off, molded them with my hands, stretching them out a bit, and put them on again, allowing them to conform to my feet. That was the beauty of watershaping: objects became soft and pliable if I worked at them enough.

"Very good," gasped Luna as I paced around, trying to adjust to the stiff slippers. I could see my toes, jammed up at the tips. The shoes were still uncomfortable but I wanted them to be a little snug: no chance of one slipping off and being discovered by Prince Hubert! "Now we just need to do something with your hair."

I turned toward the large oval mirror that hung on the wall and gasped. I did look like a princess. Well, almost, except for my naturally unruly hair frizzing out on either side of my head. Luna brushed it so hard that I had to bite my lip to keep from crying out. She finally gave up and just plaited it into a single braid down my back. She looked me over again.

"Beautiful! But now we must hurry." She grabbed my hand and dragged me back down the hallway toward the door leading outside. I nearly tripped over the voluminous skirts and my slippers slid against the smooth tiled floor. How was I ever going to adjust to walking, let alone _dancing, _in glass slippers? I should have known that my life couldn't deviate too far from my plotted storyline.

Still, I was determined to try.

It was a beautiful night with a sprinkling of stars and a nearly full moon that hung low over the horizon. The scents of pine and wisteria clung to the air.

I froze as Luna gathered a pumpkin, six mice and two lizards. This seemed uncomfortably familiar. Weren't these things all a part of my scripted storyline? A sickening feeling crawled through my stomach, a sensation that increased as she pulled my spindle from her robe and waved it over these items.

The pumpkin expanded into a golden coach that glowed with a nearly blinding light against that of the moon. The mice were now graceful, silver-white horses and the lizards became human coachmen in elegant livery.

Luna looked down at me and grinned. "Your name may be wrong but the story line is right. It appears that I'm your fairy godmother tonight. But I'm not sending you to meet the prince. In fact, you don't even need to enter the palace at all." I allowed myself to breathe. "Sorcerer Corren, who is staying at the palace as a guest, doesn't like crowds and will probably be found outside. Just meet with him and learn what you can. And be sure to leave by midnight."

I nodded as Luna gently pulled me toward the carriage. The handsome coachman bowed to me, took my hand and helped me step into it. I settled onto the soft cushions feeling uneasy.

I blinked back tears as the coach began to move. The horses glided over the ground, their hooves barely making any sound as if they were made of clouds. This _was _my plotted storyline. Was I never to escape from it?

The ride seemed to take only moments before the carriage slowed. I looked out the window. We had arrived in a moonlit courtyard.

Once the carriage was still, I stepped from it, with the help of the coachman, and slipped behind a bush.

I watched as the guests, women in gleaming ball gowns, the men in finely tailored suits, emerged from their coaches and entered the palace by a long stairway.

My throat tightened. Did I have to enter the palace to be announced? Would I attract the prince's attention before I could meet Sorcerer Corren?

My discomfort increased as I saw my stepmother and stepsisters climb out from one of the coaches, looking as overdressed as ever. I couldn't go in now! They'd recognize me.

Or would they? If my story went as planned, they wouldn't.

Still, according to my story I had never run away. Would they try to take me back if they saw me?

But the prince—

No, I won't go in. I can't meet the prince if I don't enter the palace. Besides, Luna had said I didn't have to.

I crept around the side of the enormous palace until I came across hedges framing rows of roses, orchids and tulips. Moonlight spilled over everything, meshing its soft light with the vibrant shades of the flowers. The night was a damp scented medley of trees and flowers.

A slender young man in a baggy gold-trimmed tunic was standing beside a pond, painting something on an easel. Why was he out here by himself? I glided closer, now barely aware of my water-spun slippers that were becoming more pliable with each step.

I approached him slowly from behind and gasped when I saw what he was painting. His nearly finished portrait was a detailed one of a beautiful obsidian unicorn with a mother-of-pearl horn. Lord Corren certainly had talent.

I must have gasped because he turned around abruptly, his artistic trance apparently broken.

"I-I'm sorry I startled you," I said, a bit breathless myself. I awkwardly clutched my puffy skirts and wished that I were wearing something that was easier to move in, something that wouldn't make me feel so clumsy.

He smiled. A lock of mussed silver-blond hair tumbled over his eyes.

"That's beautiful." I pointed to the curious portrait and prayed that Lord Corren couldn't hear my loud heartbeat.

"Thank you." He pushed back his stray hair with a confident sweep. "What's your name? I've never seen you here before."

Nerves pulsed in my stomach. Corren's eyes seemed to see right through me, prying out my true identity. But they were warm, smiling eyes. Focus! my thoughts scolded. "Laura," I said quickly, my throat clenching. He was a Sorcerer. Would he be able to figure out who I was? But then Luna hadn't been able to. "I'm one of twelve princesses—"

"One of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, I presume?" Corren grinned. "I've heard of you and your sisters, how you sneak away each night to an underground chamber and dance until dawn. You sure had your poor father frustrated."

I nodded and hoped my smile wasn't too wobbly. He believes me! I felt slightly light-headed. "Yes. But things have become quite dull since my oldest sister married. I needed to get away from the palace, to explore the world beyond."

"I can't say that I can blame you," Corren said with an almost wistful tone. "Palace life can be somewhat dull. I'm pleased to meet you, Princess Laura." I was getting used to being addressed as someone else. "I'm Corren, but I prefer to be called Ren."

I widened my eyes, feigning surprise just as Luna had instructed. "Lord Ren? You...you're one of the world's Sorcerers, aren't you?"

Ren grinned sheepishly and nodded. "I actually haven't been one for very long, less than a year. I filled the post when one of the elder Sorcerers died. Some of them protested, claimed that I was too young to be placed in such an important role but the members of the parliament insisted that young blood was badly needed. Besides, I'd passed all of the necessary tests and challenges. Sorceress Pendragon was the one who fought the hardest against my acceptance." Hot tingles prickled the back of my neck at the mention of my mentor's name.

"Lun—Sorceress Pendragon?" I cocked my head, pretending innocence. "Yes. I've heard of her." Guilt jabbed at me.

"Would you like to take a walk through this part of the Forest? I'm not much for royal balls but I couldn't turn down the invitation."

"Me neither," I said, feeling sincere in my eagerness. There was no chance of me meeting the prince if we didn't go inside. It was not only that. There was something about Ren that I really liked. Or did it go beyond liking? My insides tingled as he took my hand and led me down a path that trailed into the deeper part of the forest. I found myself closely studying the plush ferns and great trees with gnarled, ancient trunks. Colorful, incandescent sparkles filled the cool night air.

"Fairies," whispered Ren. "I've tried to paint them but they are too elusive." He squatted close to the ground and held out his hand, palm upward. I could practically taste his disappointment as the fairies darted away, some blinking out of sight to return to their own secret land. "I've tried to befriend them all of my life." He stood up slowly.

"I know. Fairies are such a shy race that prefers to avoid humans."

"Really? But what about fairy godmothers? You must know about those since you are a princess."

My insides felt like fire. I looked away slightly to avoid his stare. I had never met my fairy godmother but I must have one. Was she Luna? I fought the nausea rising within me. And my mother was part fairy. Maybe that's why I'm so small and have such tiny feet. "Those who usually take the jobs of fairy godmothers have some fairy blood in them, that is true, but they are mostly human. In many cases, they can't be distinguished from humans, especially those who don't have wings."

"I've always wanted to see what lies beyond our world," Ren said. "It must be more than just forest, don't you think? My tutors used to tell me that a misty veil separated our world from that of the Creators. One of the main reasons I decided to become a Sorcerer was to learn more about this."

I stared up at him. Not since Father, had I ever met anyone who shared my thoughts. "Perhaps. I'd always wanted to know myself. And someday I am going to find out. I—"

I stopped because Ren was looking at me funny. "You have a curiosity that I haven't seen before. All the Forest princesses I've met have lived very sheltered lives and can't think about anything much beyond clothes and handsome princes." His eyes burrowed into me. Were my burning cheeks giving away my identity?

I swallowed, forced my voice to remain steady. "I-I was always the most inquisitive of my sisters." I looked away in the hopes that my eyes wouldn't reveal my lies...as well as my true self, just another dull fairy tale heroine in danger of being swept away by an equally dull prince. Why, why did Luna have to send me to a ball of all places? At least I'd be safe if I remained out here with Ren.

"Princess Laura," he began in a low, halting voice. "I do need a good advisor and you seem quite knowledgeable. I could use all the help I could get, especially with a radical thinking opponent such as Lady Pendragon."

"What do you mean?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Lady Pendragon is obsessed with blending these two worlds, ours and that of our creators which lies past the Veil."

"Really?" Frustration knotted my stomach. Why hadn't Luna informed me about her plans? "What would happen if our worlds blended?"

"The destruction of both, is one theory, which is the worst possible scenario." I swallowed around the tightness in my throat. "Another, which is more likely, is chaos. There would be mass confusion: time would run in different directions and nothing would make sense."

I was silent. Why did I accept this assignment without thinking it through?

The distant chimes of the castle, tingling through the night air, distracted me from my thoughts.

I turned toward the noise, shocked and momentarily horrified.

"Are you all right, Laura?" asked Ren, touching my shoulder. His eyes showed concern.

"Forgive me," I said, bowing to him. There was no time to think of an excuse. "I must go."

"Meet me here tomorrow," Ren called as I dashed away, nearly tripping over my skirts. Without looking back, I raced back toward the castle and plunged into my waiting coach. It whisked me back to Luna's palace quicker than the time it had taken to arrive. A nauseous sensation formed a heavy lump in my stomach when I realized that I had lost one of my slippers.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Sit down, child," Luna gasped as she grabbed my arm once I had entered and led me toward a plush chair. "Why do you look so distraught?"

"I-I lost one of my shoes." My voice sounded harsh in my ears, as if I had swallowed a sheet of sandpaper. I blinked back the sudden tears that sprang into my eyes. Why did I feel so helpless, as if my life were suddenly out of control?

"That doesn't matter. Tell me everything you have learned about Corren."

"He-he said that you wanted to blend our world with that of our Creators, those who compose our lives, our stories."

Luna was nodding. "Yes. That is true."

"Ren—Corren claims that this might end our worlds. Do you really want that?"

"He's wrong. It's as I said before, he's too young and naïve for the position of Head Sorcerer. He's apparently been brainwashed by the other Sorcerers but he probably would have listened to the advice of pixies. Almost all Sorcerers, extending back to the beginning of our world, have believed it would be dangerous to blend the realities. Yet they—"

"But wouldn't they know?"

"They've never proven it." Luna's eyes flashed as if they contained lightening sparks. "By blending our world with the Creators', we can become a part of something bigger, something greater. Not only would we be more than a simple forest but their world would be enhanced. As it is, it is rather mundane. Our world would give theirs the magic that it lacks. Just think of that! And we could finally meet those who dreamed us into being."

"Is that why you want to put our worlds at risk? To meet our Creators?"

Luna smiled. "Especially one in particular."

"What do you mean? Did you personally meet one of the Creators? Did you cross the Veil?"

Luna nodded. "I created a spell that allowed me to do this. We met in an in-between place but to him it was just a dream. In fact, I had just come from a meeting with him when I first met you. We would hold each other and. . . and talk." I could see a slight blush tinge Luna's fair skin. "I can tell him anything since he'll eventually awaken and remember our meetings as just a silly dream. . . or not at all. And that's the problem. I can't be with him for more than a half hour at a time. But if I managed to blend the realities. . . we could." Her voice trembled and tears glossed her eyes.

I found myself reaching for Luna's hand and stopped. After years of living with my stepfamily, I wasn't used to showing affection. My thoughts turned to Ren and how I had to leave him so abruptly. How would it feel if I grew to know him better but we had to depart just as quickly each time?

I swallowed a lump that had risen in my throat. Yes, I could see Luna's point. Still. . .

"Is he worth risking the destruction of both worlds?" It was an effort to pry those words from my throat.

"That is what has been ingrained into young Ren. He won't believe anything else. That's why we must get rid of him."

"What?" I couldn't believe I had heard her correctly.

"You will meet with Ren tomorrow, just as he had asked. And when you do, throw the Shadow Robe you had been working on over him. That will instantly transport him to the deepest part of the Forest where he will be lost forever."

"No." I said, rising to my feet. "I will not help you win this race by cheating, even if you are doing it for someone you claim to love."

"You don't understand. With him out of the race, there will be an opening for another Sorcerer. That could be you. You have the magic for it. Or would you prefer to return to your stepmother, Cinderella?"

I went cold. "H-how did you figure that out?"

Luna laughed. "How could I not? Glass slippers? You gave yourself away when we first met. And it looks like I am your Fairy Godmother, after all."

My cheeks burned. How could I have been so careless? Why hadn't I thought of anything else to create besides glass slippers?

"So what will it be?"

"You have just lost yourself an apprentice," I said, straining to keep my voice steady. "I cannot work for someone who would even consider such a plan." I turned to leave.

"Is that what you really want? To return to being a slave to your stepmother?"

"She may be mean but at least she's never done anything that vile."

I pulled the heavy door shut behind me and dashed to my room where I gratefully changed back into my old worn frock. I never thought I'd appreciate wearing rags again. I grabbed my moonspun cloak and, without looking around at the luxury I was leaving behind, fled Luna's home.

That night, as I camped in the woods, I remembered Ren's request to meet him outside Prince Hubert's gardens. I didn't have to return to my stepfamily! After all, I was now Ren's advisor. I had another job and a purpose.

It was late afternoon of the next day by the time I had reached our meeting place and the sunlight slanted through the branches in golden, dust-speckled rays. I listened to the breeze-stirred leaves, the birdsong and the faint musical tinkling of fairies' wings.

"Laura, is that you?" called Ren's voice from nearby.

I glanced down at my old ragged smock and felt a sudden urge to turn back. When I raised a hand to smooth my hair, which was messier than ever, I encountered something sticky. Perhaps sap from the tree I had slept under. Frustrated tears burned my eyes. I couldn't see Ren like this.

No. I couldn't go back to that old life now that I'd learned and experienced so much. If I was no longer Luna's apprentice, I still could be Ren's advisor. He had offered me that position after all.

I momentarily leaned against the gnarled trunk of a tree and breathed deeply, gathering my tattered confidence. It doesn't matter if you are in a ball gown or in rags, I thought to myself as hard as I could. You are Ella Shepherd, advisor to Lord Corren, candidate to become the Collective Unconscious Forest's Head Sorcerer.

"You really aren't one of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, are you?" Ren's question jolted me from my thoughts. I looked up into his gray eyes, glistening like fresh dew. A heavy guilt weighted me. I slowly shook my head.

"No. My name is Ella Shepherd. I—"

"Cinderella, of course."

I swallowed. "You-you know?"

He nodded and fumbled for something in his baggy tunic. "You left a clue when you dashed away so quickly last night." He pulled out the glass slipper. It reflected the late afternoon sunlight as if it were filled with a rich golden liquid. "I'm assuming this would be a perfect fit."

He knelt and slid the slipper onto my foot. It fit easily, feeling slightly more pliable than it had when I'd first put it on but it still wasn't entirely comfortable.

I blinked tears from my eyes and swallowed. How could I tell him that I'd been Luna's spy, a job I no longer wanted? I hadn't meant to hurt him. I was merely doing what Luna had suggested when I thought her intentions were good. Would he forgive me?

"Ren, I—"

He waved away my explanation before I could release it. "It no longer matters, Ella. If you didn't want anyone to know who you were, I'm sure you had a good reason. I haven't been entirely truthful with you either. I'm not just a Sorcerer. I'm a prince. Prince Corren of the Tenth Kingdom."

His words roared in my ears. I shook my head, certain I had heard wrong.

"A-a prince?"

"That's right. I'm actually the second son. My older brother is destined to inherit the throne after Father dies. But I wanted to do more with my life than just be a useless prince, unable to improve the lives of my kingdom's citizens. That's why I ran away and worked on honing my innate magical skills. I figured I could do more as a Sorcerer, especially Head Sorcerer if I win that position, than I could as the younger prince."

A range of conflicting emotions filled me. Ren was a prince. A prince who'd found my slipper. Were we destined to eventually marry? The thought, for once, didn't fill me with dread but joy. Should I succumb or fight it?

I took off the slipper and slid it into my pocket beside my folded moon-cloak. "I thought about what you said last night and I would like to be your advisor."

"That's wonderful!" Ren kissed my cheek. The warmth inside me increased until it felt as if it were going to burst through my skin.

"She already has a position," said an all too familiar voice. "She's my apprentice."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Luna stepped toward us.

"Lady Pendragon," Ren said in a calm yet icy tone. "What are you doing here?"

Luna turned to me. "You are asking Cinderella to become your advisor. Didn't you know that she is already my apprentice? That would be a conflict of interest."

Anger flared within me. "I told you already that I was no longer your apprentice. Didn't I make myself clear?"

"But you still met with Ren, just as I'd asked you so you were still carrying out my orders. And don't forget I have magical powers. Finding you after you ran off wasn't that difficult."

Luna pulled out the shadow-cloak and threw it over Ren.

"No!" I darted forward but it was too late. He had vanished. I turned to Luna, my chest tight with fury. "Bring him back! How could you—"?

"I don't think you should order me around, girl. After all, _I _am one of the Seven Sorcerers, soon to be the Head Sorcerer."

"You aren't that yet." I took a deep breath, struggled to control myself. "And I will tell the others."

Luna reached into my pocket and pulled out my single glass slipper. "I knew he'd find this. You know that you can't deviate from your story too far. . . although this version will be different. It won't have a happy ending. . . for you." She stared at it until its shape changed, becoming a crystalline key.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm mixing my magic with yours. Our combined magic is equivalent to that of the Head Sorcerer and gives me the ability to unlock the invisible doorway between our worlds."

"You're going to blend the worlds, without thinking of the outcome?"

"That's right. I'll do this even before the other six Sorcerers can discover my plans. By that time it will be too late."

She held out the key, as if slipping it into an invisible lock. A ghostly doorway appeared, glinting like a mirage-shimmer. The Veil? It grew more opaque as she slowly turned the key. The surrounding trees began to sag, their leaves blurred like water running over green paint.

"Luna, stop! Look at what you are doing. What if you did destroy our worlds? You still won't end up with the Creator you love."

Luna's mouth was set in a grim, firm line. "I don't care what happens to his world or even ours. Just as long as we end up together. The focus of my magic is on him."

Rage burned through me. She hadn't even thought anything about my feelings for Ren. And now he was lost in the deep shadows of the Collective Unconscious Forest. Well, I'd find him, even if I spent my life trying.

But first I had to stop Luna. What should I do? If only I had never shown her my talent. I should never have shaped those slippers.

My hand slid to my pocket. I could barely feel the moon-cloak against my fingers. It makes things invisible and intangible. Could it help? I pulled it out and flung it over the key. The door was nearly solid when the key faded in Luna's grasp beneath the wispy fabric.

"What's happening? What are you doing?" Luna pulled away the moon-cloak but it was too late. The Veil vanished, the Forest returned to normal. The key, solid again, slipped from Luna's hand and shattered against a rock. I breathed deeply. My legs felt suddenly limp.

"You'll be sorry now, girl," she said, glaring down at me. "I'll turn you into something that no other fairy godmother will be able to change."

I stepped back, my heart loud in my ears. Had I gone too far?

I resisted the urge to laugh with joy when Ren appeared behind Luna with five others, three men and two women. All were wearing the purple and crimson robes of the Sorcerers.

"I thought that was _your_ role in this story." I struggled to keep my voice steady.

"It doesn't look like you'll be a Sorcerer anymore," Ren said to Luna.

She turned toward the other Sorcerers. "It's not what you think," she said, dropping my cloak, which I quickly retrieved.

"You can explain that to the Council," said one of the men, grabbing her arm and leading her away. I glanced at Luna. A momentary flicker of sympathy tickled my chest as I saw a single tear spill from her eye. Aside from that, her expression remained rigid.

Ren dashed toward me and drew me into his arms. "Are you all right? The others say that you stopped her from opening that doorway."

"How did they know?" I struggled to catch my breath as I pulled away. "And how did you find your way back?"

"We have our ways," said one of the female Sorcerers.

"It turns out that those elusive fairies make excellent guides," Ren said. "They led me back to the others and we used our combined magic to get here as quickly as possible to stop Luna before it was too late. But it looks like you succeeded in that before us." He grinned.

"Now that Luna has been disqualified, we have another opening in our ranks," said one of the others, a tall, bearded man. "We would like you to join us."

"It's. . .um. . . an honor, sir." My tongue felt suddenly numb. "But I. . ." My mind went suddenly blank.

"You don't need to answer right away," said a woman. "That is an important decision that shouldn't be rushed."

"So, do you think you would like to become one of the Seven?" Ren asked.

"Perhaps." I thought about my life with my stepfamily. "But I would also like to become a fairy godmother to whoever might need one."

Ren smiled at me. "I'm certain that can be arranged."

**The End**


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